A Critique of Jack Londons To Build a Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

A Critique of son of a bitch Londons To Build a FireKaren Rhodes analyzed to variety a approach in a cultural context. He believed Londons works were written so that he could survive in a world he progressively came to see as red in tooth and claw(1). It is obviously the fiction of a human race fighting the stresses of Nature. According to Rhodes, to build a sack up was drawn from the year London spent in Canadas Yukon Territory. London represent arctic and very cold conditions throughout the story. Rhodes believed to build a kick up represented Londons Naturalistic Flavor. It pits one man alone against the overwhelming forces of record(Karen Rhodes, 1). He also believed to build a fire can both be interpreted as the Pioneer American experience or can be read as an allegory for the journey of adult male existence (Karen Rhodes, 1). According to Rhodes, there are two versions of to build a fire the first one was written in 1902 while the sulphur one was written in 1908. We are studying the 1908 version. It has come to be known as everyman trekking through the Naturalistic Universe(Karen Rhodes, 1). To build a fire is indeed the story of a man trekking through the cosmos alone except for his dog. The mans demolition at the end was the culmination of the story. His death came through no lapse of observation, no lack of diligence, no original folly but the nature of himself and his environment (Karen Rhodes, 2). I think his is a fine criticism of Londons to build a fire. London had made single-valued function of his life experiences in writing the story.I break with Karen Rhodes observation that to build afirecan be interpreted as the story of a man in the journey of human existence. However, I think her view of to build a fire as an American experience comes from the fact that she is an American. I agree with her theory that the Mans death in the end was due to the nature of the man and his environment. The protagonist in to build a fire did nor have both grasp of the danger he was in. he tried to reason himself through it all. He thought, Maybe, if he ran on, his feet will thaw out and anyway if he ran far enough, he would reach camp and the boys. (Jack London, 157).